Almanzor

Almanzor (938-8 August 1002) was the de facto Arab ruler of al-Andalus during the late 10th and early 11th centuries, serving as a general of the Caliphate of Cordoba at its height. His name is a corruption of his nickname "al-Mansur", meaning "the Victor" in Arabic, and he was victorious in fifty-seven campaigns against the Christian kingdoms of Spain.

Biography
Muhammad ibn Abi Amir was born in 938 to a family of Muslim Yemeni Arabs, and he studied law and literature in al-Andalus during the reign of al-Hakam II of Cordoba. He rose in the political hierarchy of al-Andalus, getting rid of political rivals in the process, and he became an influential courtier in the Caliphate of Cordoba. When al-Hakam died, he secured Hisham II of Cordoba's accession to the throne, but he imprisoned the young caliph in the Medina Azahara palace-city as he exercised the affairs of state. He crushed his father-in-law Ghalib al-Nasiri at Torrevicente on 9 July 981, and he dedicated himself to annual invasions of the Christian kingdoms. He was victorious in all 57 of his campaigns, and he became known as al-Mansur ("the Victor") in Arabic and "Almanzor" in Spanish. Almanzor succeeded in sacking Barcelona in 985, Leon in 988, and Santiago de Compostela in 997, melting down church bells to become lanterns for the Great Mosque of Cordoba. However, he had Saint James' sepulchre guarded due to the Christians' devotion to it. In 1000, his 52nd battle at Cervera was a great victory, but this led to the Christian rulers allying against him. His death in 1003 left his son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar in charge of the effort to fight Christendom in Spain.